Das Vampyr!
by Lonestarr
Summary: If you take from another man, make sure they can't do anything about it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Just a little something I threw together with vampires. Enjoy.

The eight-year-old boy tossed and turned in his bed. A nightmare had wrapped around his brain. He couldn't escape it.

His bright green eyes flew open. He panted heavily. He gazed out the window from his bed. A branch from a tree stretched toward his window like a claw. On nights when the wind was strong enough, it looked like the branch was shaking in front of him, ready to grab.

His mother did her best to convince him that he was safe from the branch and anything that might harm him. She told him that there were no monsters out there. Even though she didn't entirely believe it herself, she would've done anything to protect her son.

The boy's breathing slowed down. He was starting to feel calm.

A dark shadow brushed by the window in a split second. The boy stifled a gasp. Slowly, he got out of bed and rushed down the hall.

He ran toward his mother's room, hoping that she would allay his fears about the monsters.

The door was cracked open. The vanity mirror against the wall was all the boy could see through the crack, but it was enough.

He saw his mother in the mirror's reflection. It was if she had been lifted out of bed. The boy could see his mother's blood smeared all over her body. Her eyes rolled back into her head. Her life force slowly ebbing away. Her skin losing its luster.

All the boy could do was watch as the woman who loved him was killed. He ran back into his room and hid under the bed, tears stinging at his eyes.

The boy heard footprints approaching his room. He covered his mouth, not allowing any sound to come out.

The door flew open. All the boy could see were a pair of boots walking around. The boy kept his crying as quiet as he could.

After what sounded like a snort, the boots disappeared, replaced with a flapping noise.

Certain the menace was gone, the boy called the police.

They were far more helpful with getting him a new place to live than with the investigation. They were certain that the boy's father was responsible, until they remembered that he was murdered in a similar fashion days ago.

The boy was unsure what had taken his mother, but he swore that he would, one day, find out.

* * *

"Trent!" A young man, slim and blonde, hung off the front door of the dorm room.

The boy had grown up into a handsome young man. In the years since his mother's murder, Trent found that the responsible party was a vampire. He read up on vampires and found that there were several ways to kill them: a stake through the heart, garlic, Holy water or exposure to sunlight. His devotion to stopping this plague upon mankind had precluded a social life.

Trent tore himself away from a book he'd checked out only minutes ago. "Yes, Geoff?"

"A rockin' party in twenty with our names on it."

"Nah. Got a ton of homework." Trent tugged at his turtleneck. Even in eighty-degree weather, he was never seen without one.

"Have it your way, bro." Geoff gave the door a knock and hustled off. He was a nice guy, if a little too unconcerned about applying himself in his classes.

The joke was on him, though. Trent had no homework. On nights that he did, he was careful to get it done as quickly as he could.

There were more important things to worry about.

* * *

Trent had booked the latest hour for the college fitness center. Around this time of night, the people using it were either studying or partying.

If he were to embark on this path, he would have to be in peak physical shape. His routine consisted of weight training and calisthenics. He got a running start and launched into a few barrel rolls. Producing a stake from his pocket, he drove it hard, imagining a creature in front of him.

He turned around and repeated the process. So focused was he that he barely noticed the young woman in the path of his stake. He stopped himself that the tip of the stake only brushed the woman's blouse.

Trent pocketed the stake as if he were holstering a gun. "That's a good way to get killed."

"I'm sorry."

Trent gave the girl a sideways glance. "You're in my advanced calc class, aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm Courtney." From what he'd seen, she was a straight-arrow girl who, despite being a little high-strung, seemed very nice.

"The gym's about to close, so I'm not sure if you'll get a whole lot done."

"Actually, I'm here for you."

"Probably not for tutoring, I bet."

"No. I think you can help me."

"What with?"

"Vampires."

Trent narrowed his eyes.

"If this is some kind of joke, I'm not in a laughing mood. I got enough of that from the campus police."

"I'm serious." Trent could hear the anguish in her voice. She was. "My boyfriend, Duncan…I saw him outside my window last night." Courtney's voice began to quaver. "His eyes glowing red. Fangs bared. He was staring at me for the longest time. Just staring."

"And you need me to kill him?"

"No!" Courtney practically shrieked the word out. "Please. I still love him."

Trent packed his gym bag. "Girls falling for the bad boys. Same old story."

"Duncan wasn't always so bad. We had our problems, but we loved each other. I just want him back. Maybe, if you kill the vampire who changed him, it'll turn him human again."

Trent glanced back at Courtney.

"You're not the only one who does research."

Trent stalked off.

"From what I hear, I'm not the only person to lose someone to a vampire."

Trent stopped walking.

"Please."

Trent sighed. Sometimes, he hated himself for his sympathy. "Fine."

"Thank you."

"You know, you really ought to get back to your dorm. It's not safe being out on your own."

"Don't worry. I have an escort."

"Is he packing?"

"I hope so."

Trent grabbed a cross from his gym bag. "Not quite what I meant."

"I'll be fine."

"Night, Courtney."

* * *

Courtney exited Packard Hall. To her surprise, there was no sign of the officer who was waiting outside. She turned and saw the mobile cart parked near some bushes.

"What's going on? Are you all right?"

Courtney saw the officer slumped over the wheel. She lightly poked him. He fell out of the driver's seat, his neck ripped open. Blood smeared the front of his clothing and the steering wheel.

She reared back with a shriek.

"_Music to my ears."_

Courtney gazed into the sky. The voice was familiar to her, and yet, completely alien. She ran as fast as she could, but the creature swooped down on her, knocking her to the ground.

He picked her up and turned her around, her neck exposed.

"No…"

"This will only hurt for a moment, princess." The creature's fangs grew as he sunk into Courtney's neck.

She hit him repeatedly, hoping to loosen his grip. After a few moments, her arm fell, her strength depleted.

The creature carried Courtney's limp body into the air. Two stray drops of blood fell from her neck and hit the edge of the pavement just off the grass. Unless someone were really looking for it, no one would ever see it.

* * *

Trent trod down the path. He shivered a little. This bothered him, as it was seventy degrees that night. Something didn't seem right.

Trent fingered the stake in his pocket. He continued to walk the path, ever vigilant. He tripped a little when his foot caught the edge of the pavement.

He picked himself up and headed toward his dorm, unaware of the blood stain that collected on the bottom of his shoe…


	2. Chapter 2

"_Okay, Trent, what did you want to show me?"_

_Trent admitted to himself that the picnic setting was cheesy, but it was also romantic, in a way. He pulled out a ring._

_The girl before him blushed beet red. "Trent, don't you think we should finish college before considering marriage?"_

"_Of course. This is just a promise ring." He slipped it on the girl's finger. "This way, we agree to always stay faithful to each other and, when the moment is right, then I'll replace it with a wedding ring."_

_The girl smiled. "I love it."_

"_Thank you."_

_The girl jumped on Trent and kissed him. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead._

"_I love you, Trent."_

"_I love you, too, Gwen."_

* * *

Trent woke up. He sighed. It was more than a dream. It was a mere four months ago when he "proposed" to Gwen. He'd looked forward to spending a long life with her.

He glanced at his clock. 8:48am. He practically leapt from his bed and grabbed a turtleneck and jeans.

* * *

Trent could barely pay attention to the professor's lecture. He glanced a few rows above him. Courtney wasn't in her usual seat. His mind was ablaze with possibilities, even though he came back to one of them again and again: she had been attacked by Duncan.

Trent glanced idly at the sole of his shoe. A small smear of blood.

* * *

Police tape cordoned off the area around Packard Hall. Trent tracked the path that led from the building. He glanced along the edge where he tripped. Dried blood on a blade of grass.

* * *

Most students spent the breaks between classes eating or goofing around. Given the severe look on Trent's face, neither were on his agenda.

He looked Courtney up on the school's database. There were two dormitories for girls on campus: Hayden and Levine. Courtney was in the latter.

* * *

Trent glanced up at Levine Hall. He spent most of his Political Science class thinking about this. He'd hoped that someone would've helped him.

He bumped into a bubbly blonde who was on her way out.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The blonde smiled nervously.

"That's okay. Maybe, you can help me."

"How?"

"I'm looking for Courtney. Brown hair, freckles, really smart?"

The blonde gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"That's my roommate. She never came home last night. I kept telling her that she needs to go out and have some fun, but that's no reason not to call and let someone know where she is."

"I saw her last night. She told me about her boyfriend."

"Yeah, Duncan. That he was a 'vampire'. I think she's been watching too many movies."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm Lindsay, by the way."

"Trent."

Lindsay frowned. "I hope she's okay."

"I hope so, too."

* * *

Trent took a seat on his bed and cracked open a book on vampire lore. He felt that there was never enough to know about vampires.

Geoff stepped out of the bathroom, ready to party. "Hey, T."

"Yes?"

"Some of the guys and me are going to this hot club downtown. It's called 'The Cave'. Really underground."

"I don't know. I really need to study." Trent hefted the book for effect.

"Bro, you can't spend all your time studying."

"That's what college is for: getting a degree to get a good job."

"Yeah, but do you really want to look back on your four years here and say 'all I did was study'?"

Trent just flipped the page.

"Whatever. Maybe, I'll bring you a matchbook." Geoff disappeared behind the door.

Trent rolled his eyes. 'All I do is study.' With a frustrated grunt, he packed his book and stormed out.

* * *

The library always seemed cavernous, but never more so at night, when most everyone was in their dorm rooms or having lives.

Trent sat at a table, buried in his book.

"_Vampires?"_

Trent turned toward the voice. "Noah." Trent had never shared a moment of class time with Noah, but they would see each other from time to time in the library.

"None other. What's with the book?"

"Just an interest in the undead."

Noah nodded before rolling his eyes. "Ah. I'm reading up on zombies, myself."

"Seriously?"

"Of course not. I was doing research for my criminal justice class. There have been disappearances over the last few months. Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and get this: the people that have gone missing were last seen around some place called 'The Cave'."

Trent's eyes goggled. "The Cave?"

"Yeah."

Trent gathered the book and hurried off.

"Where are you going?"

"I think I need to have some fun."

* * *

The music was pounding. The lights were bright. The crowd was growing. Simply put, The Cave was the place to be.

The bouncer at the door peered at the gathering crowd from behind dark glasses.

Only a few spaces from the front of the line was Geoff. Two others waited alongside him. One was a geeky, gangly kind of guy with glasses. The other looked younger than his years. When he smiled, a slight gap could be seen.

"I'd heard about this place from people talking in the quad. I hope it's worth it."

"Yeah. It'd be really cool to meet some hot babes."

"I guess." Geoff's level of enthusiasm wasn't quite as high as those of his compatriots. He loved to party, no doubt and he needed a distraction from the fact that his girlfriend had disappeared some time ago.

Smoke came from behind the door as it opened. The line of people proceeded inside.

* * *

The door led through a tunnel painted bright red. A little distracting and not very pleasing to the eye, but it did help the ambience. At the end of the tunnel was a hallway with elevators on either side.

The patrons filed onto the elevators. So far, they were unimpressed. This was the hot, happening club they'd heard about?

The elevators went down four floors. As the elevator settled, Geoff glanced around, ready to speak what everyone in the car was surely thinking: "They weren't kidding when they said this was underground."

"_Welcome, my children!"_

The crowd turned toward a vision: a woman of pale skin and long, dark hair, wrapped in a dark dress.

"My children of the night."

The crowd followed the enigmatic woman toward the main ballroom.

Trent trailed behind the crowd. He glanced around, studying the layout of the property.

* * *

A bank of monitors which covered nearly every inch of the property. If one was to invest in a locale, one needed to be safe.

A shadowy figure studied, in particular, the lower-left monitor that showed the crowd heading for the main ballroom.

The crowd didn't intrigue him so much as the straggler that seemed to be checking out the place. He thought to himself, 'why the hell is he wearing a turtleneck?'.

* * *

"…and that's why music stopped being great before they invented auto-tuning, not when." At the table, a weird-looking gentleman in a suit and tuque sat across from a stunning woman in a blue dress. "People forgot to write a good hook. They let the technology do the work for them."

The girl looked repulsed at the gentleman.

"Is something wrong?"

"You have a bug in your teeth."

The young gentleman picked up a spoon and glanced at his smile. Indeed, there was a fly squirming in-between his teeth. He fished a toothpick from his pocket and plucked the fly out. He glanced at the bug…and swallowed it.

"So, where were we? Oh, yeah, you were into me."

"No!" The woman rushed away from him. The gentleman felt a hand on his shoulder.

"_Lady troubles, Ezekiel?"_

Ezekiel glanced up. With his winning smile and swarthy look, it could only be one person.

"Master, I appreciate the eternal life, but why can I only have the lives of bugs? Can't I have humans, like you?"

"We've been over this and over this, Ezekiel…no."

As quickly as he appeared, the "Master" disappeared. Ezekiel slumped in his seat.

* * *

Trent shuffled through the dancing crowd, unconcerned with the people around him.

Little did he know that two pairs of eyes were staring at him from the wall. They belonged to two dark-haired young women in slinky dresses. One of them was skinny, while the other was attractively full-figured. If not for the differences in skin color and weight, one could've easily mistaken them for twins.

* * *

Geoff and his cohorts sat at the bar, staring at their glasses of red liquid.

The younger one sniffed the contents of his glass. "Maybe, it's just me, but does this wine smell a little…off?"

The other two picked up their glasses. "Yeah, I know what you mean." Geoff set his glass down and pushed it away.

"Now, boys, don't knock it until you try it." The young men turned around. The dark-haired woman who greeted them stood behind them, a warm smile on her face. "You just need to get a taste for it." She took the younger one by the hand.

"Um…"

Geoff pushed him toward the woman. "Go for it, Cody."

The woman smiled at the remaining men. "Don't go away, boys. I'll have time for you, too."

Cody and the woman disappeared into the crowd.

Geoff turned back to the bar. "Can you believe that, Harold?"

Harold sighed. "I was hoping to be first."

* * *

In the bathroom, Trent stood at the sink, washing his hands. So far, the color scheme aside, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He glanced into the mirror. All he could see were the stalls behind him.

He reached over to the paper towel dispenser and grabbed a few sheets. He dried his hands off and threw the paper towels away.

Trent glanced into the mirror and only the reflection of the stalls greeted him. If he'd turned around, he'd have seen the not-twins leering at him.

Trent headed for the exit. He stopped and turned around. There was nothing there. He left the bathroom, shuddering a little.

The girls stepped from out of the stalls. Both offered a moan, almost as if it came from one mouth.

* * *

Cody eagerly slammed the glass of liquid down on the bar. However, it was now empty. "Man, that was incredible!"

Geoff and Harold each slammed down their empty glasses. "You said it!"

"Awesome!"

The bartender - a well-built young woman with the makings of a unibrow - stared the young men down. "Another drink?"

"Yes!", they replied in unison.

* * *

Trent turned back to the elevators. This place was a little strange, but not really worth looking into. He pushed the 'up' button and waited patiently for the car to arrive. He felt someone brush by him, but thought nothing of it.

He stepped onto the elevator. As the doors started to close behind him, he heard it.

"_The party didn't start without me, did it?"_

Trent perked up. He knew that voice. The doors closed, though he got enough of a glimpse.

"Gwen."

The look on her face was unlike any he'd seen on her. It was almost…predatory.

Trent tried to push the buttons on the elevator panel, but none of them would respond, as if they were beyond his control.

* * *

The elevator stopped at the top floor. Trent stepped out of the elevator. The doors closed behind him.

Trent was somewhat unnerved by what just happened. He peered around and made his way for the exit.

Whatever was going on at this place, he was going to find out. Not tonight, but very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

"_You sure you've got everything?"_

"_Sure, I do. Besides, I'm only going to be gone a week."_

_Trent smiled nervously. He wanted to be with Gwen, but, unfortunately, their schedules weren't in sync._

"_Okay. Say hi to Bridgette for me."_

"_I will." Gwen waved as she disappeared onto the bus. Trent waved back, his heart heavy at being without his love._

* * *

Trent lied in bed. He smiled as he remembered that day. The smile quickly turned to a frown as he remembered that she hasn't been back since.

He soon got a chill. Being in The Cave gave him the creeps.

Trent fell back to sleep. He turned a little. He felt something crawl onto the bed. The figure crawled toward him and flipped him onto his back.

The figure kissed him along his body. It made its way down to his boxers and practically ripped them off.

The distinct feeling of morning wood had overtaken Trent. The figure's bright red eyes were visible in the darkness and would've been to Trent had he been awake.

The figure hungrily lowered its head, its fangs extended-

Trent bolted awake. He patted himself down and took a deep breath. He stumbled to the bathroom. He turned the faucet on and splashed water in his face.

He walked back to his bed and pulled the covers over him.

A pair of red eyes stared at him from the closet.

* * *

The sun peeked in through the curtains of Trent's room. He glanced over to the far end of the room. Geoff's bed hadn't been slept in, not that one could tell; it was never made. Still, no one was currently in it.

Despite his lax attitude toward his studies, Trent thought of Geoff like a brother to him. His gaze shifted toward Geoff's hockey stick, autographed by Daniel Alfredsson not long after the Ottawa Senators made the Stanley Cup finals.

It was Saturday morning. Trent usually took this time to study and visit the city. However, he had but once goal in mind: getting back into The Cave.

* * *

From the sub-shop, Trent stared at the building. He was forced to wonder how many people went in every night…and how many came back out.

"Number 99!"

Trent turned back around and took his tuna sub to a table, not taking his eyes off of The Cave.

* * *

Night fell on the city. Trent took a look at the line of people gathered outside. He grabbed his duffel bag and unzipped it. Stakes, crosses and vials of Holy water. Trent pocketed some stakes and five vials.

He pulled out a cross about the size of his arm, and tucked it into the sleeve of his jacket.

He adjusted the collar on his turtleneck and exited the car.

* * *

Trent wasn't far from the entrance of the club. He wasn't interested in the idle small talk that his fellow patrons were.

He stared ahead and saw a pair of giggly women get waved inside. Girls like that didn't interest him in the slightest, though they tried like hell to attract him.

Gwen was different. She was pretty like those girls, but she had so much more to fall back on. She was intelligent, funny and a talented artist.

"Next!"

Trent glanced up. The bouncer was calling him. The people behind him were grousing that the line had stopped moving.

"Daydream believer!"

Trent sheepishly hurried to the door. "Sorry."

"Wait. Weren't you here, yesterday?"

"Nah. I just have that kind of face." Trent smiled.

The bouncer shook his head and waved him inside.

* * *

The crowd of people disembarked the elevator. At the back of the elevator was Trent. He shuffled toward the open doors, then slammed on the 'door close' button.

Trent studied the panel. The other floors were labeled, 'U1', 'U2' and 'U3'. Feeling cheeky, Trent pressed 'U2'. The doors closed.

* * *

Trent stepped off of the elevator. A long hallway lay before him with doors on either side. He carefully crept down the hall. He glanced through the window of the first door on the left.

Nothing but a broom closet. Trent took a look through the window of the door on the right.

A pair of coffins. Trent tiptoed to the next door on the right, a chill running up his spine.

Unbeknownst to him, the two coffins cracked open…

* * *

The dark-haired greeter took a seat at the bar, her hand on her temples. She waved down the bartender.

"Eva, a glass of seltzer."

"You know what he says about-"

"Please."

"Fine, but I'm not losing my head over it." Eva reached down and pulled out a seltzer bottle. She filled the glass and gave it to the woman.

"Thanks."

Eva simply rolled her eyes.

The woman downed the drink in one gulp. It'd been quite some time since her palate hadn't craved anything red and straight up.

"_Seltzer?"_

The woman jumped. The swarthy figure from yesterday appeared next to her.

"It calms me down."

"What could you be upset about?"

The woman set down the glass. "It's complicated."

"I'm sure you think it is."

"Leave me alone."

"You really want to make our guests feel unwelcome?" The woman turned away, a guilty look on her face. "Because unhappy hosts might lead people to not want to come here. Then, who knows?"

The woman glanced around. The man was gone. She sighed in relief and turned around. He was right there. She reared back.

"I mean it, Heather." The man disappeared.

Heather turned to Eva, pleadingly. "Another glass, please."

* * *

Trent peered into the window of another door. Two empty coffins with the lids open. He shrunk away from the door. As he turned back toward the hall, he found two women at the end of the hallway, blocking the only way back to the elevators.

They were the not-twins from yesterday.

"Hello", the two women said in unison.

"Hi."

"What are you doing up here?" Another sentence said together. It had been a long time since one woman said something that wasn't immediately repeated by the other.

"I was, um, leaving."

"Why so soon?"

Trent unzipped his jacket. "I'm meeting somebody downstairs."

"But we can have our own fun right here."

Trent pulled out his cross. "I must insist." The not-twins hissed as Trent neared them.

He leapt past the women, still brandishing his cross. He backed toward the elevator. He blindly mashed a button, not realizing it was the 'down' button.

The doors opened and Trent fell inside. The women charged at him. Trent rapidly pushed the 'door close' button with the tip of his shoe.

The doors closed. Trent breathed a sigh of relief as the car began to head downward.

* * *

A small, bookish woman felt the fangs sink into her neck. She was scared, at first, but as the sucking went on, she started to feel euphoric.

The turned patrons cornered the few humans left, red eyes lighting the room up.

Heather glanced on, a bored look on her face.

"I'm not getting too much older for this." She stalked toward the elevators and pushed the 'up' button. The doors opened on one of the cars and the not-twins spilled out.

"Have you seen Alejandro?"

Heather jerked a thumb toward the ballroom.

"Thank you, Mistress."

Heather went through the doors as they closed.

* * *

The doors to the elevator opened. Trent carefully stepped out, cross drawn. Another hallway of doors.

He crept to the first one on the right. To Trent's surprise, it was open. He stepped inside.

Unlike most of the rooms on the 'U2' level, this room housed a single coffin. In addition, there was a rack of fancy dresses.

Heather stepped off the elevator. She was tired, not just in general, but of the life. She wanted some kind of escape, but, of course, Alejandro would have something to say about that.

She pushed open the door to her room…the first one on the right!

Trent turned around when he heard the door open. He jumped into the rack of dresses.

* * *

Heather stared at her coffin. "Maybe I'll know what to do after a good day's sleep." She crawled into the coffin and pulled the lid down over her.

Trent peered out from the dresses. His mind raced. Should he make his escape or stake her?

* * *

The not-twins found Alejandro enjoying a snifter of blood at the bar, smiling at the chaos around him.

"Master."

"Katie. Sadie. What is it?"

"There was a man in a turtleneck. He had a cross."

Alejandro raised an eyebrow. "Did he, now?"

* * *

Trent slowly crept toward the door. All the while, the coffin remained undisturbed.

He grasped the doorknob. He took a glance behind him. She was probably the one who turned Gwen and who knows how many others.

Trent threw open the coffin. He pulled out a stake and aimed the point at Heather's heart.

He raised the stake…and a hand grabbed his arm.

"Can't a girl get some rest?"

Trent tried to pull his arm free. Heather opened her eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the guy with the stake."

"And I'm the girl taking a nap."

Trent pulled away from her. The force of his pull caused him to crash against the door.

"What do you want?"

"I saw my girlfriend here last night. You point me in her direction, then I'll come back to deal with you."

"'Deal with me'?" Heather leapt out of the coffin. "Do you even know who you're messing with?"

"Should I know? You're vampires."

"_This is Alejandro." _Trent glanced toward the intercom system. _"I'd just like to thank you for coming to our club."_

_Heather turned to Trent. "You should be worried."_

"_Do you have a reason?"_

"_Alejandro only gets on the intercom for one reason. He knows you're here."_


	4. Chapter 4

Alejandro was speaking through a microphone as the patrons stared at him. "Ladies, gentlemen, esteemed bloodsuckers…and Ezekiel. There is a slayer in our midst. He is armed, dangerous and a lousy dresser, but don't worry. It's nothing that can't be handled. If you bring him to me, alive…and somewhat unharmed, you get first bite."

* * *

"_Happy hunting." _Alejandro delivered the announcement with an élan that made Trent's blood run cold.

"Told you so. They're not gonna let you out of here alive."

Trent smiled darkly. "They might."

* * *

Trent opened the door and glanced around. The coast was clear. He lurched out, one arm wrapped around Heather with stake in hand, the other clutching his cross.

"You're really using me as a human shield?"

"Hostage, and you're not human."

"So, what, you think I was always a bloodsucker?"

Trent rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I read. Every vampire has a history. That doesn't mean I have to like you."

"And let's say you do get out of here somehow. You're gonna have about a hundred vampires chasing you until the end of your days."

Trent shrugged a little. "Everyone dies of something."

* * *

On level 'U4', the elevator doors opened. Scads of vampires loaded onto the cars. Alejandro stood addressing his troops. "Okay, I want teams of nine to twelve on each elevator heading for a different floor."

The vampires nodded in agreement.

As the doors closed, a feminine figure sashayed toward Alejandro. "Well, hello, there." He smiled as he ran his fingers through her shoulder-length hair.

* * *

On the elevator, the vampire who had been Geoff glanced over at a blonde girl with long hair. He squinted a little, as if her recognized her. His face lit up.

"Bridge?"

The girl turned. She smiled, revealing her fangs. "Holy crap. Geoff!"

"When did you get turned?"

"Last night. You?"

"Three months ago in Calgary."

"Small world!"

The two of them embraced and kissed.

* * *

Trent dragged Heather around a corner. He stopped at seeing a figure at the end of the hall, draped in shadows.

"Who's there?", Trent yelled as he held up his cross.

"_Don't you recognize me?"_

Trent lowered the cross somewhat. The figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Courtney?"

The brunette had a vacant look in her eyes; it seemed like she had too much removed from her body the night of the attack.

She spoke in a drained monotone. "Yes. I was scared at first, but then Duncan brought me here, to The Cave."

As she drew closer, Trent could see the full extent of what happened. Courtney's chalky pallor made her appear as a walking corpse. Even Heather recoiled at her look.

"I can't really move too much." Courtney lost her footing. With a snap, she fell to the floor. She screamed.

Trent blinked away tears. He dropped his cross.

Courtney whimpered as she glanced at her leg. It was broken. She glanced up at Trent, who raised his stake.

"I'm sorry."

Trent plunged the stake through Courtney's heart.

Courtney's body flared up. She sighed loudly, as if feeling a great relief.

Trent glanced down. An outline of ash where Courtney once sat.

He pocketed the stake and glanced over at Heather, who seemed to be crying. Trent wanted to say something, but decided against it.

He picked up his cross and grabbed Heather with his other arm.

* * *

The doors of the elevator opened. The vampires spilled out, led by Ezekiel.

"All right, guys. Master said he wants this guy alive. Let's get him!"

The vampires snarled and hissed as they scattered down the halls.

* * *

Trent glanced out of the window of the door. Thankfully, not every door on this floor was locked. He glanced down at his stake. The tip was somewhat worn from the flare-up of Courtney's body. Trent started to cry.

"Not so easy when it's someone you know, is it?"

Trent scowled at Heather.

"She was someone's daughter. How's that gonna look on your conscience?"

"She was in pain. You heard her. She'd been drained of too much blood. She broke her leg." Trent got in Heather's face. "Eternal life with a broken leg…sounds like a real picnic."

Heather turned away from Trent.

"Hey. Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Trent grabbed Heather's shoulder. She was crying.

"So, you do have a heart."

"Let me ask you something, slayer: do you have any children?"

"No."

Heather wiped her eyes. "I did. How old do you think I am?"

Trent shrugged. "I don't know. A hundred?"

Heather stared indignantly. "I'm 23! At least, I was when Alejandro bit me."

"When was this?"

"Right, so you can do the mental math? No." Heather sighed. "It _was_ a long time ago. I had a beautiful baby boy. I was walking home from work one night when he came down on me. Not long after that, I visited my son. He cried when I tried to pick him up. He never did that before. His crying woke up the orphanage. That was the last time I ever saw him."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sure. Then Alejandro found me. He promised me children. Lots of them. I agreed to come with him." Another sigh. "Some nights are better than others, but I'm just tired of the game."

"You want out?"

"A way out."

"My mother always tried to tell me that there weren't monsters out there."

Heather laughed a little. "And where is she?"

"Dead. Her and my father killed by vampires."

"Whoa. _I'm sorry_."

"I guess I've been carrying this for so long, I forget that vampires were people once. If there's anything I can do to help…" Before Trent could say anything else…

"Promise not to kill anyone else."

"What?"

"Those are my children out there. Please spare them."

"I don't think they'll feel the same way toward me."

* * *

The vampires stalked the floor, banging on every door they came across.

One of the vampires stepped out front. He sniffed the air and led the crowd forward, his green Mohawk like a shark's fin.

He turned a corner and found the silhouette of ash on the floor. He ran a finger along the ash and tasted it. He snarled and yelled.

The vampires banged on every door.

* * *

Trent stared toward the door. "They're close." He grabbed his cross and reached for the door.

"What about me?"

"After hearing your story, I feel pretty bad about using you as a hostage."

"Without leverage, they'll rip you apart…and your story was pretty sad, too. I can't imagine what it's like to lose your parents."

"As bad as losing a child, I bet."

"My name's Heather."

"Trent."

Heather arched her back, waiting for Trent's arm. "Shall we?"

* * *

Trent exited the room, his arm around Heather's body. The vampires charged at him. Trent reached his other arm around and held the cross up to them. They hissed and kept back.

Trent backed up, not seeing the figure behind him, breathing heavily. "Boo."

Trent spun around and, through the motion of his body, he planted the stake into the figure's heart.

The vampire twitched on the ground. "Courtney…", he gasped out.

"Duncan."

Duncan's body flared up, leaving an ash figure on the floor.

Heather glanced down at the ash, then scowled at Trent.

"Last one, I promise", Trent whispered as he pocketed the stake. If it'd been louder, there was a chance the vampires would hear.

Trent grabbed Heather by the arm and ran down the hall, the vampires in hot pursuit.

He turned the corner and saw the elevators in the distance. A glimmer of hope, before his eyes.

Ezekiel dropped from the ceiling. Trent stopped.

"So, you're the slayer?"

"I am."

"Master said to bring you to him alive. He also said that I don't get any human lives."

"And for good reason", Heather snapped.

Trent took a step back. Ezekiel took a step forward.

Ezekiel charged. Trent tried to pull the stake from his pocket, but it was stuck, lengthwise.

Ezekiel jumped on Trent and sunk into his neck. Ezekiel straightened up…and his fangs snapped off. He let out a loud scream.

Heather turned to Trent. "What the hell happened to him?"

Trent pulled down his turtleneck. Crosses tattooed all over. "You fail to plan, you plan to fail."

"Not fair, eh? Not fair!"

Trent shrugged a little, as if to say 'I'm sorry.'. He ran toward the elevator, followed by Heather…and the vampires.

Trent mashed on the 'down' button.

The vampires jumped over Ezekiel's body.

The doors opened.

Trent and Heather entered the car.

Trent mashed the 'door close' button.

The vampires drew closer and closer…

The doors closed.

Trent mashed 'U4'.

"Wait, we're going down?"

"We are."

"Why?"

"I'd like to file a complaint with the owner."

* * *

Behind the bar, Alejandro helped himself to a glass of blood. He sipped it, swishing the liquid around in his mouth. "'66. Good year."

A knock on the door frame. Alejandro turned. Trent stood, clutching his cross.

"The slayer. I guess I can't give you first bite."

Trent narrowed his eyes. "Guess not."

"I'm glad you're here. I've got someone you should meet. Guinevere!"

Trent shook his head. He heard footsteps approaching. They belonged to Gwen, but this was barely the same girl that Trent knew. She wore a sheer dress that showed off her cleavage and high heels. Her eyes glowed a bright red and her fangs glistened.

"Gwen…" Trent felt like he'd been gut-punched.

"That's the name, loverboy. _Former_ loverboy, anyway." Gwen punctuated this by striding to Alejandro and kissing him.

"How did you even know about her?"

Alejandro broke away from Gwen's admirations. "Facelook status updates. How did the world survive before them?" He glanced toward Heather at the door frame. "Hey, sweets. You brought the slayer to me."

"I suppose you could say that."

"You get first bite. Rules are rules. Too bad you didn't rough him up a little. That would've been awesome."

Heather walked over to Trent. She bared her fangs and sunk down, her long hair obscuring Alejandro's view.

"Trent, there are matches and a bottle of bourbon behind the bar. Do what has to be done." Heather whispered in Trent's ear as she rifled through Trent's pocket. She slipped the stake out. Trent glanced down as best as he could.

"What are you doing?"

"No woman should have this many children." Heather placed the stake to her heart. She tripped over Trent's foot and fell to the floor, the stake piercing her heart.

"Heather!", Trent and Alejandro seemed to say at once.

Heather smiled as she dissipated into ash. One last tear fell from her eye.

* * *

The vampires stopped running. Their skin regained texture. Their fangs shrank. In short, they were human again.

"What are we doing down here?"

"I don't know."

The people glanced into the windows. "Are those coffins?"

* * *

On floor 'U1', in a different room, one of the coffins seemed to be rocking. The lid opened. Geoff and Bridgette emerged.

"Well, that was new."

"Really new."

The two of them lay in silence.

Geoff shrugged. "Wanna go again?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Bridgette closed the coffin lid.

* * *

Trent rushed behind the bar and searched frantically for the matches. He found them in a drawer under the cash register.

"_There's no way out, slayer. We three realize that."_

"_Don't worry. You're gonna love being one of us." _Gwen laughed. _"Sleeping all day, partying all night. It's fun being a vampire."_

Trent opened the cabinet. "I know you don't mean that."

"_I really do."_

Trent grabbed a bottle of bourbon. He stuffed the bar rag into the mouth of the bottle.

Alejandro approached the bar. "Okay, slayer. This is last call. Up and at 'em."

Trent slowly stood up. Behind his back, he lit the match with his thumb. He joined the fire to the rag and tossed it toward the far wall.

"No!"

Trent ducked. Fire spread across the ballroom, engulfing it in flames.

Gwen rushed out. Alejandro followed behind her.

Trent grabbed the microphone and tapped it.

"Attention, everyone, the building is on fire. Please exit in an orderly fashion. Anyone on the floors above me, exit the building right now!"

Gwen got onto an elevator. The doors closed.

Alejandro got onto another elevator. Trent rushed toward him. Before the doors closed, Alejandro waved mockingly.

* * *

People came spilling out of the front door of The Cave. Smoke belched from every orifice.

* * *

Trent mashed the 'up' button frantically. The door opened. He jumped on and pressed the 'door close' button. The door finally closed.

The elevator slowly, but steadily made its way upward. Smoke plumed through the shaft. Trent started coughing.

The doors of the elevator opened. Trent crawled his way toward the exit as the fire came through the floor.

Trent stared ahead. The exit was a good 40 feet away. He forced himself to his feet and blindly ran out.

He stopped at the front door and collapsed on his feet. A group of patrons carried him away from the building. One of them pulled out a cell phone.

"_911. What is your emergency?"_


	5. Chapter 5

"Smoke inhalation and minor bruising. Otherwise, you're fine." The doctor's prognosis brought a slight smile to Trent's face. "However, I'm a little concerned about those burn marks around your neck."

"They're tattoos", Trent stated, his voice slightly muffled by the respirator around his mouth. "They've always been there."

"Oh. In that case, you should be out of here in a day."

Trent breathed a sigh of relief. The sigh nearly caught in his throat. Alejandro was still out there. He'd definitely want revenge.

A knock at the door.

"Friend or foe?"

"Come on, Trent!" Another sigh. The door opened. Geoff and Bridgette stepped in.

"Whoa. You've looked better."

"I've felt better."

"Man, thanks for bringing us out of that."

"Happy to do it. Was anyone killed in the fire?"

"Nah. Everyone made it out safely."

Trent nodded. "Good. Nice to see you found each other."

"Yeah. I'm taking Bridge back to Calgary. Gonna be gone a few days."

"Don't forget to come back. Still got to study."

Geoff smiled. "You got it."

Trent gave the couple a thumbs up as they departed.

* * *

Around four in the morning, Trent returned to his dorm room. The experience with The Cave left him worn out. In spite of his classes later in the morning, he wanted to sleep for the next 24 hours.

He dropped his duffel bag and fell into bed, not caring to remove his clothing. Sleep quickly overtook him.

"_Come on in…"_

Trent turned in his bed. The last day had been so exhausting, he had no idea what time it was. He yawned and blinked his eyes.

In blinking, he'd caught a glimpse of two people staring at him…with red eyes.

Trent opened his eyes. Alejandro and Gwen staring down at him, fangs bared.

"Wake up, sleepyhead", the young woman purred.

Trent reared back. "How the hell did you get in here? A vampire-"

"-can't enter a residence unless they're invited in." Alejandro dully recited the rule. "You think that hasn't come up once in the last hundred years?"

Gwen raised her hand. "I let him in."

"Then how'd _you_ get in?"

Gwen sat down next to Trent on his bed. "Remember that dream you had last month about inviting me into your dorm?" She leaned toward his ear. "That wasn't a dream."

"How are you even still a vampire? I killed Heather."

"Yeah. That really would've mattered if she was the one that put the bite on her." Alejandro pointed his thumbs toward himself.

Trent glanced toward his bag. Before he could reach for it, Gwen twisted his arm behind his back. "Uh-uh."

"Oh, by the way, thanks for the fire. Saved me some trouble." Trent glanced quizzically at the vampire. "Insurance fraud. Electrical accidents pay pretty handsomely. I get to set up shop someplace else."

"Why tell me all of this?"

"Why not? It's not like you'll be telling anyone else."

Trent's eyes goggled. Gwen nodded. "Sorry, sweetie." With a smile, she swayed toward Alejandro, who kissed her lips deeply. He made his way down to her neck, running the tip of his tongue along the scarring of her bite marks.

"She was even sweeter than your mother."

Trent charged toward Alejandro. As if anticipating this, Alejandro grabbed Trent by the neck. Trent saw a ring on Alejandro's finger - the same promise ring he gave to Gwen.

Within moments, Alejandro tossed Trent against the wall, knocking the hockey stick down.

Gwen ran to Alejandro's side as the vampire checked his hand. Cross-shaped burn marks. "That's actually pretty clever."

"Thanks."

"Not clever enough to save you, though." Trent peered ahead. The hockey stick was broken into two pieces.

Trent grabbed the pieces and held them up as a cross. Alejandro backed away, maintaining a poker face as Gwen jumped on Trent's back, her hands digging into his eyes and nose.

"Sorry about this, Gwen." Trent leaned forward, knocking Gwen's head into the wall. She fell onto the floor, barely conscious.

"Aren't we the violent one? I must say, I'm not really sure what Gwen saw in you."

Trent held up the stick pieces into a cross.

Alejandro merely folded his arms. "So, what, we're just gonna wait until your arms get tired?" As fast as Trent could blink, Alejandro was right in front of him. "I've never been a man known for my patience."

Trent glanced behind him. A bit of sunlight peeked through the curtains. A slight smirk. "And I've never been the kind of man who takes things lying down."

Trent rushed over to Geoff's bed. He jumped on it at an angle, propelling him toward the curtains. He yanked them down.

The sun flowed in, striking the vampire in the back.

Alejandro's back started to burn. He rushed toward the door.

Trent ran and tackled his legs. Alejandro kicked him away and hurried for the door.

Trent crawled for his bag and pulled out a vial of Holy water.

Alejandro turned the doorknob. Trent hurled the vial against the door, the liquid burning into his hand.

Alejandro pulled away, staring at the remnants of his hand. He turned back and saw Trent holding up the hockey stick cross.

Trent advanced on Alejandro, forcing him into the sun.

Alejandro seethed. "You son of a bitch!"

"Takes one to spot one."

Alejandro tripped over the curtains, His body fell backwards into the sunlight pouring through the windows.

Gwen stirred awake. She stared in horror as Alejandro's body was consumed by sunlight. She tried to crawl over to him, but Trent draped her with a blanket.

"Gwen!" Alejandro reached out his hand, which dissipated into ash.

Trent watched as Alejandro exploded, his remains nothing but particles floating in the air.

Trent pulled the blanket off of Gwen. She glanced up at him. He stared into her eyes. "Gwen?"

"Trent?"

He kissed her on the lips. To his surprise, then relief, she kissed him back.

"Good to have you back." Trent rested his head against Gwen's.

Trent peered toward the door. He picked up the promise ring.

"Looks like you lost this." Trent put the ring on Gwen's finger. However, Gwen drew very withdrawn. "What's wrong?"

Gwen started to cry. "The things I did while I was a vampire. I remember them all. I killed people, Trent. Innocent people. She buried her head in her hands. "I'm a monster."

Trent grabbed Gwen by her arms. "You are not a monster. Alejandro was the monster. You were just a vessel for his evil." Trent wrapped Gwen in a hug. "I will never see you as a monster and I will never stop loving you."

Gwen sobbed into Trent's shoulder. He let her cry. Fifteen minutes later, Gwen was all cried out.

"Do you feel better?"

Gwen wiped her eyes. "A little. Trent?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for saving me." Gwen nuzzled under Trent's chin.

"No problem. Gwen? Are you doing anything later tonight?"

* * *

Gwen stared in the mirror. Tattoos of crosses lined her neck. She lightly fingered one and winced.

Trent wrapped an arm around her. "Still a little sensitive?"

"Yeah. Is this really a good idea?"

"An ounce of prevention…"

"But what about our kids? I'd feel pretty weird tattooing them."

"So, now we're talking about kids? I think you move too fast for me."

"Shut up", Gwen said as she playfully hit Trent's arm.

Trent kissed the back of Gwen's hand. "So, how much class time do you need to make up?"

"A whole semester, apparently."

"Well, I'll be right there with you."

"Always?"

Trent smiled. "Cross my neck and hope to die."

* * *

A/N: I have never written a multi-chapter fanfic in less time than this. I'd concocted the idea a week ago after seeing a picture on deviant art (this one: .com(slash)art(slash)The-Vampire-and-Van-Helsing-333771477 ).I worked like crazy to get the story done in time for Halloween, which meant writing a chapter a day and pretty much making them up on the spot. I'm usually very lazy about writing, but the muse had my nards in a vise grip and you can only ignore that for so long.

The sharp-eyed will notice that I've referenced a number of vampire movies. I thought it'd be fun. Also, I thought it'd be fun to see how many TDI characters I could work into the story. The rushed nature of the story meant that some would be marginalized, while others would end up omitted completely (Izzy would've made a neat vampire, I think).

Thanks for reading, reviewing, faving, watching, whatever and have a nice day.


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